Asian Beef and Noodle Salad

Its summer time now in Greece, and the weather can get extremely hot. But there are times I miss the stir-fried noodles like Mee Mamak, which I would squeeze lime juice all over and mix while its hot. Or Pad Thai, and my Achilles heel of all stir-fries, Char Kuey Teow. It’s too hot (and not to mention very un-dietific) for me to make stir-fried noodles, so I have decided to make it a salad, of sorts.

There are other types of beef and noodle combination salads from Thailand and most famously from Vietnam. This salad is influenced by the ones I have just mentioned, but I am going to be using kuey teow, flat rice noodles, as compared to vermicelli or glass noodles. You can use any sort of noodles that catch your fancy, and cook it according to the instructions on the packet.

As for the vegetables, I am using a simple lettuce salad mix from a packet – it’s an Italian mix, which has lolla rossa and rocket amongst others. I have also added spring onions, tomatoes and cucumbers to the mix. I also like to add some fresh leaf herbs in the mix – coriander (cilantro) goes really well. But you can use chives, or basil, or mint (but just a small amount as to not overwhelm). If you can find Vietnamese mint or Thai basil, it would be an excellent addition!

Additional garnishes are the peanut and wasabi sesame seeds mix, hard-boiled eggs and if you would like it with a little spice, some shichimi togarashi (chilli powder).

Ingredients: (enough for 2 main dishes or 4 smaller portions)

250g to 300g of thinly sliced beefMomofuku-inspired sauce
1 tsp of vegetable oil
Salad leaves (of your choice)
Sliced cucumbers and tomatoes and feel free to add other types of veggies that you fancy
2-3 sprigs of spring onions, sliced
A small handful of chopped herbs (coriander, or mint, or chives.)
A handful of peanuts, chopped (or pounded into chunks), mixed with sesame seeds.
2 hard-boiled eggs, quartered.
50g of noodles, cooked according to packet instructionsFor the salad dressing:
1 tbsp of lime juice
4 tbsp of olive oil
1 tsp of fish sauce
1 tbsp of mirin (or replace with 1 tsp of sugar if you don’t have any)
Salt and pepper to taste